Sunday 19th January
ADRA Promotions as part of The Victoria Theatre’s Antidote series presents
ANTIDOTE: These Towns + The Exu + Zandra
£10 | £12 [+10% booking fee]
Doors open 6.30pm | first act 7pm | finished by 10pm
London free folk, improv, noise, electronics trio feat. members of UKAE, Thurston Moore Band, Abstract Concrete
Leeds heavy jazz double bass/drums/sax power trio – ex Roller Trio / Bilbao Experiment
Hebden-based dream-pop/ambient/folk performing as a trio with members of Samandtheplants and Static Waves / The Illness.
Antidote is The Victoria Theatre’s programme of artistes that see things from a slightly different point of view, for audiences who like to challenge their understanding of live music. This event is curated by Halifax-based artist, musician and arts organiser Andy Abbott (ADRA Promotions). The Antidote series is on tour as part of Culturedale: Calderdale’s Year of Culture 2024.
________________________________
THESE TOWNS
Miserable joyful cathartic free folk caught between contemplation and violence.
‘These Towns is music made by three people from these fucking towns, all of whom made a run for it, swapping inexorable economic decline and emptying town centres for the accelerating claustrophobic grind of the big city. Their music is the soundtrack to getting your head kicked in down the pub behind the cattle market; downing wine and eccies on top of the Norman hill fort at the top of town in the blazing sun; punch-ing the keys in your merciless data entry job just to afford your tiny bedsit; sailing through the madding crowd to the club on payday like you own the whole fucking city. Free folk, improv, noise rock and genera-tive electronics intertwine, swell and implode: the whisper of wind through the dry grass of summer’s end; the smash of a pile hammer laying foundations for an oligarch’s skyscraper; what’s next? Fuck knows. Sweet vocal harmonies break through the fray like rays of sun through a gap in the mountain fog. Electronic bass noise thunders suddenly like Prescott’s fist in the face of that Countryside Alliance prick. Their debut album is named thus because that was the phrase we used to hear before getting a thick ear. You don’t ‘get what you give’ round here. Oh no, You’ll Get What You’re Given.’
______________________________________
THE EXU
Dave Kane (double bass), James Mainwaring (saxophones), and Emil Karlsen (drums)
Named after a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting and inspired by the artists multi-faceted stylistic approach – known for its raw, expressive, and dynamic qualities, blending street art with neo-expressionism to create bold, thought-provoking work. The Exu make layered, intense, creative & beautiful, thought provoking, genre fluid improvised music.
The trio brazenly draw their musical influences from the worlds of free jazz, grunge, death metal, hip hop, bebop, & experimental music. Kane says ‘we are the sum of our record collections, the films we have seen, the books we have read. It all goes into the mix to make our music.’
Kane & Mainwaring share the compositional duties while young Norwegian drummer Emil Karlsen brings versatile, intricate textures and groove. Mainwaring (of Mercury Prize-nominated Roller Trio) blends fiery and sensitive saxophone approaches with playful edge, while double bassist Dave Kane ignites each performance with cathartic, heartfelt energy that lingers long after the final note.
______________________________________
ZANDRA
Zandra is a singer penning songs from West Yorkshire, England. Zandra’s songs are ambient, fragile and quietly reserved, tinged with a folk inspired wash. They are currently in the process of recording more songs and have a few home recordings.
Log in if you already have an account with us.